Dietary Patterns and Human Reproduction

Part 1 of the thesis focuses on dietary patterns and fatty acid intake in couples undergoing IVF/ICSI fertility treatment. The studies described in Chapter 2, 3 and 4 are based on the FOod Lifestyle and Fertility Outcome study (FOLFO), a prospective cohort study examining the influence of preconception lifestyle exposures in subfertile couples on fertility parameters and pregnancy outcome. This study was conducted between 2004 and 2007 in the Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.24 Part 2 focuses on the role of the maternal dietary patterns periconception as a risk factor for congenital malformations in the offspring. The studies on risk factors for spina bifida (Chapter 5) and orofacial cleft (Chapter 7) offspring were conducted in a nationwide large-scale case-control triad study carried out between 1998 and 2004 at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre.25, 26 The findings on associations with congenital heart malformations in Chapter 6 are based on the HAVEN study (Hart Afwijkingen, Vasculaire status, Erfelijkheid en Nutriënten).7 The HAVEN study is an ongoing case-control triad study conducted in the Western part of the Netherlands. The study emphasizes nutrition, lifestyle and genes in the pathogenesis and prevention of congenital heart malformations and children and both parents were included. Data collected between March 2004 and August 2008 were used for analysis. Finally, Chapter 8 provides a general discussion of the thesis, a summary of the key findings, reflections on the strengths and limitations of the applied methods, implication for clinical practice and public health, and suggestions for future research.

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